Grant finds stability at Stark’s

AFTER moving clubs four times in as many years, Grant Anderson was looking for some stability in his career.

And the 26-year-old winger looks to have finally found it in Kirkcaldy after putting pen to paper on a new one-year deal with Raith Rovers this week.

Now he is looking forward to returning to familiar surroundings of Stark’s Park once preseason training resumes next month.

“I’m delighted,” he told the Press. “We had talks going back and forward but I wanted it all settled before my holidays.

“I wanted to stay - I enjoyed my time here last season - and going back to a place I know will hopefully help me kick on next season.”

Anderson was a relative latecomer to the senior game, only making the step up from junior football three years ago when Stenhousemuir signed him from Kirkintilloch Rob Roy.

He spent a year at Stenny, followed by a season at Hamilton Accies, before he became one of John McGlynn’s last signings as Rovers boss last summer.

His season at Raith has proved his most successful to date with 27 appearances and five goals in the first division helping him earn a new deal.

“I thought I had a decent season - I did what was asked of me,” he said.

“I reckon I got near 20 assists and although I’d liked to have scored more goals, five isn’t bad.

“I also developed a great understanding with Jason Thomson down the right, and the club keeping hold of him was another big factor for me.”

Anderson’s blinding pace was one of Rovers’ most potent attacking outlets last season, but he reckons it was his willingness to do the ugly side of the game that kept him in manager Grant Murray’s plans for next season.

“The manager knows what he wants from his wide players,” Anderson explained.

“He is similar to John McGlynn in that he is not going to give wide players a free licence to just attack.

“You have to be prepared to get back and help the defence as well, and he’s taught me how to do that.”

Rovers finished sixth in Anderson’s first season at the club - a position he hopes the club can improve upon next season.

“You can say we had a good season in the end because it looked like we were really struggling after Christmas,” he said.

“We’d out-played some of the teams who were challenging for promotion, but we dropped big points to teams like Dumbarton, Cowdenbeath and Airdrie.

“Next season we will have to improve our performance against the teams who are below us in the table.”